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Updated: May 29, 2026

Quantifying the Cytotoxicity of Staphylococcus aureus Against Human Polymorphonuclear Leukocytes
Published on: January 3, 2020
Secretory virulence factors produced by Staphylococcus aureus isolates obtained from mastitic bovine milk--effect on
Karol Fijalkowski1, Danuta Czernomysy-Furowicz, Jane A Irwin
1Department of Immunology, Microbiology and Physiological Chemistry, Faculty of Biotechnology and Animal Husbandry, West Pomeranian University of Technology, Szczecin, Poland. karol.fijalkowski@zut.edu.pl
Abstract:
The aim of the research was to test whether exogenic virulence factors secreted by Staphylococcus aureus isolates are involved in mechanisms that allow the bacteria to modulate and evade phagocytosis by bovine polymorphonuclear neutrophils. The research was based on the comparison of the effects of supernatants, prepared from cultures of 30 S. aureus isolates, on the functional properties of bovine neutrophils in vitro. S. aureus isolates were collected from milk samples from cows with clinical mastitis. Supernatants, which were used to treat leukocytes, were prepared from 18 h S. aureus cultures. Exogenic virulence factors secreted by S. aureus isolates significantly influenced the phagocytosis parameters evaluated. Depending on their leukotoxic or superantigenic properties, supernatants could affect the ingestion process, and also showed an influence on the digestion efficiency and phagocytosis carried out by bovine polymorphonuclear neutrophils in vitro.
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